Municipal re-division: Netherlands to have 25 fewer municipalities next year
The Eerste Kamer approved 12 proposals for municipal re-division. A total of 37 municipalities will be re-divided into 12 new municipalities, which means that from January 1st next year the Netherlands will have 355 municipalities, instead of 380, NU.nl reports.
The mergers did not cause much discussion in the Eerste Kamer, the Dutch Senate, except for the municipality of Haren merging with the municipality of Groningen. The residents of Haren opposed this merger, but a majority of 49 Senators still voted for it. Ten Boer is also merging with Groningen, but there was no discussion about this.
The biggest change involves the new Utrecht municipality of Vijfheerenlanden, which will be made up of the Utrecht municipality of Vianen and the Zuid-Holland municipalities of Leerdam and Zederik. The province of Utrecht will therefore be slightly larger next year, while the province of Zuid-Holland will be slightly smaller.
The new municipalities:
- Groningen, Haren and Ten Boer merge into the municipality of Groningen
- Leerdam, Vianen and Zederik merge into the municipality of Vijfheerenlanden
- Dongeradeel, Ferwerderadiel and Kollumerland en Nieuwkruisland merge into Noardeast-Fryslân
- Binnemaas, Cromstrijen, Korendijk, Oud-Beijerland and Strijen merge into Hoeksche Waard
- Grootegast, Leek, Marum, Zuidhorn and part of Winsum merge into Westerkwartier
- Bedum, de Marne, Eemsmond and the rest of Winsum merge into Het Hogeland
- Geldermalsen, Lingewaal and Neerijnen merge into West Betuwe
- Noordwijkerhout and Noordwijk merge into Noordwijk
- Giessenlanden and Molenwaard merge into Molenwaard
- Haarlemmerliede en Spaarnwoude and Haarlemmermeer merge into Haarlemmermeer
- Nuth, Onderbanken and Schinnen merge into Beekdaelen
- Aalburg, Werkendam and Woudrichem merge into Altena